Boko Haram has released a video demanding the release of all militants held by the government
in exchange for the return of about 220 still-missing Nigerian girls, many of
whom appear in the video praying and wearing full-length hijabs, according to
Agence-France Presse.
AFP,
which obtained the video, reports that it features the Islamist militant
leader Abubakar Shekau speaking for about 17 minutes before showing
footage of some of the missing girls praying in an unknown location. In the
video, Shekau claims that those abducted have converted to Islam.
The BBC
adds that three girls speak during the video. Two say they were Christians
who have converted to Islam, and one simply described herself as a Muslim. The
three appear calm and one said they have not been harmed by the violent
abductors.
Boko Haram first claimed responsibility for kidnapping nearly 300
Chibok schoolgirls in mid-April in a video made public about one week
ago.
Nigerians and members of the international
community sympathetic to their plight are frustrated by the government's lack
of action, a critique bolstered by a recent Amnesty International report claiming military officials had advance warning of the
attack that led to the kidnapping, but failed to act to protect the
schoolgirls. And the government has been refusing many offers by the U.S. and other
countries to help search for the missing.
Still,
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan said on Sunday that he
will accept help from Israel and that he is "very
optimistic that with the entire international community deploying its
considerable military and intelligence-gathering skills and assets in support
of Nigeria's efforts … success will soon be achieved."
Courtesy
The Wire via Yahoo.com
Written Danielle Wiener-Bronner 4
hours ago
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